I have a couple of sheets at the front of my recipe file listing all sorts of conversions. I thought it would be useful to list them all here for easy reference. Feel free to pinch this. Although I can’t guarantee absolute accuracy, these are my best and most well-used estimates.

Gas mark 3 = 160-170C – bit contentious this one – differs according to where you look (325F)

Gas mark 4= 180C (350F)

Gas mark 5 = 190C (375F)

Gas mark 6 = 200C (400F)

Gas mark 7 = 220C (425F)

Gas mark 8 = 230C (450F)

Gas mark 9 = 240 – 250C (475F)

Gas mark 10 = 260C (500F)

Spoon measurements (always measure level, not heaped)

1 tsp (teaspoon) = 5ml

1 dsp (dessert spoon) = 10ml

1 tbsp (tablespoon – remember this is not a serving spoon) = 15ml

American cup sizes

Note: this system works in volume, rather than in weight, so obviously a cup of butter will weigh considerably more than a cup of flour – take care when converting! It’s worth investing is a set of cups so you don’t have to. Also, US cups differ from their Australian and South African equivalents, just to confuse you a bit more.

Basically, as long as you’re not mixing and matching your measuring method in a recipe, you should be fine – and, let’s face it, a couple of grams either way won’t ruin a recipe.

1 cup = 250ml volume

1/2 cup = 125ml volume

1/3 cup = 80ml volume

1/4 cup = 60ml volume

So for the most common ingredients:

Butter

The ubiquitous Ina Garten measures her ‘budderrr’ in sticks. US sticks are 4 oz or about 115g. 1 stick is half a cup, so:

1/2 cup butter = 115g

1/3 cup butter – 75g

1 cup butter = 225g (8oz)

Flour

Another contentious one this – you’ll find 1 cup listed as anywhere from 100g to 150g on the internet – it all depends whether it’s sifted… whether it’s a damp day… how tightly it’s packed… blah blah), but for me, the middle ground is:

1 cup flour = 130g

1 cup flour tightly packed = 150g

Sugar

1 cup caster/granulated = 225g

1 cup brown sugar = 175g

Liquids

2 fl oz = 60ml

4 fl oz = 120ml

5 fl oz = 150ml

6 fl oz = 180ml

8 fl oz = 250ml

16 fl oz = 500ml

32 fl 0z – 1 litre

1 pint = 20 fl oz or 570ml

American pint = 16 fl oz

Weights

½ oz = 10g

¾ oz = 20g

1 oz = 25g

1½ oz = 40g

2 oz = 50g

2½ oz = 60g

3 oz = 75g

4 oz = 110g

4½ oz =125g

5 oz = 150g

6 oz = 175g

7 oz = 200g

8 oz = 225g

9 oz = 250g

10 oz = 275g

12 oz = 350g

1 lb = 450g

1 lb 8 oz = 700g

2 lb = 900g

3 lb = 1.35kg

Miscellaneous Randomness

1 lemon (average size) should give approximately 3 tbsp juice.

Buttermilk: squeeze the juice of half a lemon into normal milk, stir and voila! Buttermilk.